Evaluating Resident Physicians' Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding the Pain Control in Cancer Patients

Background: Pain has been one of the most debilitating symptoms of cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate residents' knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding pain control in cancer patients.

Methods: In a descriptive study, 69 randomly selected third-year various residents practicing in teaching hospitals of Shahid Beheshti School of medicine participated in this study. They have provided their demographic characteristics and completed a questionnaire, based on their “knowledge”, “attitude” and “practice” regarding cancer pain and its management. Data analysis has performed using SPSS v.19. A p value of less than 0.05 has considered as significant.

Results: Obtained Data from 69 participants including 32 anesthesiology residents has included to our study. The average scores were 35.8±6.1 (ranging from 20 to 49) for the residents' attitude, 25.1±9.1 (ranging from 0 to 53) for their knowledge and 11.2±4.1 (ranging from 0 to 17) for their practice. The overall scores of the questions have related to attitude and knowledge were higher for residents of anesthesiology but the difference was not statistically significant (A: 37.1±4.9 vs. 34.7±6.8, p=0.106, K: 27.2±11.8 vs. 23.3±5.6, p=0.076). The average score for questions on physician' practice was significantly higher in residents of anesthesiology (P: 12.8±3.2 vs. 9.7±4.2, p=0.001).

Conclusion: In order to provide patients with adequate pain relief, it has seemed advisable for medical schools to focus on improving the educational curriculum and integrating it into clinical practice.